The Federation of Tax Administrators Recognizes Outgoing Board President Kimberly J. Lewis, Welcomes Neena Savage as Board President

Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2022) – The Federation of Tax Administrators today announced that its Board of Trustees’ President Kimberly Lewis, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, has been appointed to be Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer at the Louisiana State University (“LSU.”) FTA’s Executive Director, Sharonne Bonardi, expressed her appreciation for Secretary Lewis’ leadership. “Secretary Lewis has led the FTA heroically during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have had the pleasure of working with Secretary Lewis for the past 6 years on both the FTA Board of Trustees, as well as the ID Theft Tax Refund Fraud ISAC. She leads with unwavering strength and integrity. The Association will miss Secretary Lewis’ steady hand, and we wish her the very best in her new role. LSU is fortunate to have Secretary Lewis join its leadership team.”

Since 2016, Secretary Lewis, an alumna of LSU, served as the Secretary of Revenue and as an advisor to Gov. Edwards on issues related to business, the COVID-19 pandemic and health equity. She has served on the FTA’s Board of Trustees since 2016 and was elected Board of Trustees President in June 2021. “I am grateful for the outstanding leadership Kimberly Lewis has provided to the state of Louisiana over the last six years as both a trusted advisor and my Secretary of Revenue,” Governor John Bel Edwards said. “An intelligent and exceptional public servant, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of our state and our people. I offer her my heartfelt congratulations as she transitions to her new leadership role at LSU. Geaux Tigers!”

“I am thankful I had the opportunity to serve the citizens of Louisiana for the last six years and that Governor Edwards entrusted me with the Department of Revenue and broader policy issues. I also thank the dedicated Revenue employees I‘ve had the privilege of working with over these years in revamping our state’s tax structure and collecting the revenues used to fund vital public services for all Louisianans,” Secretary Kimberly Lewis said. “I’m looking forward to my next chapter at LSU as I continue my commitment to public service, advancing public policy and improving our state.” Prior to her role as Secretary of Revenue, Lewis served as senior policy advisor on revenue, economic development and insurance policy for Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Earlier in her career, Lewis was a partner in the Tax & Estates Practice Group at Jones Walker LLP focusing primarily on state and local tax matters, economic development financing, incentives and government relations.

Kevin Richard, a long-time Department of Revenue employee, who started with the agency in 1994 and has served as a tax auditor, manager and director, among other roles, will succeed Secretary Lewis. Most recently, Richard served as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Revenue, a position he held since 2016.

Neena Savage, Tax Administrator for the State of Rhode Island, who will assume the role of President of the Board of Trustees, expressed her gratitude to Secretary Lewis for her leadership and guidance over the past 6 years. “Secretary Lewis’ tireless dedication to and leadership of the FTA and its mission has been invaluable given the recent unprecedented challenges faced by state tax administrators. I hope to continue to lead the FTA’s Board of Trustees in building on the foundation that Secretary Lewis, Executive Director Bonardi, and the FTA Board of Trustees have established.” Ms. Savage has served on the FTA Board of Trustees since 2017 and was appointed Rhode Island’s Tax Administrator on January 4, 2017. She is an attorney with almost 30 years of legal experience in the non-profit, public and private sectors. Ms. Savage holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington College of Law of the American University.

The Federation of Tax Administrators was organized in 1937 to improve the quality of state tax administration by providing services to state tax authorities and administrators. FTA provides services that include research and information exchange, training and intergovernmental and interstate coordination. FTA represents the interests of state tax administrators before federal policymakers where appropriate and serves the principal tax collection agencies of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Kimberly J. Lewis Neena Savage

FTA Welcomes New Executive Director Sharonne Bonardi

Thursday, November 04, 2021 12:00 AM

FTA Welcomes New Executive Director Sharonne Bonardi

Washington, D.C. (November 4, 2021) – The Federation of Tax Administrators is pleased to announce that Sharonne R. Bonardi, Esq. will be the next executive director beginning on January 3, 2022. Ms. Bonardi has been serving as the deputy comptroller of Maryland since 2015.

Kimberly J. Lewis, president of the Board of Trustees at the Federation of Tax Administrators, stated “The Board of Trustees was seeking a visionary, hands-on leader to guide the FTA forward. Unequivocally, Sharonne Bonardi is that leader. From her time as an attorney hearing officer in Maryland to her role as deputy comptroller, she has demonstrated a commitment to tax administration and supported the work of the FTA. Serving on the FTA Board during her tenure as president of the Board, I witnessed first-hand her leadership skills and her passion for tax administration. I am excited to have Sharonne take over the helm of the organization, and I know the staff and Board share my excitement and enthusiasm.”

“I’ve dedicated my entire 30-year career to improving tax administration in Maryland by making transparency, fairness and equality priorities for our agency. I look forward to advancing these ideals nationally in support of the mission and vision of the FTA,” said Bonardi, who is a past president of the FTA Board of Trustees. “I thank Comptroller Franchot for the opportunity to lead one of the best departments of revenue in the country. The agency is prepared for continued success and I look forward to its future achievements. My experience as deputy comptroller has prepared me well for an opportunity of a lifetime at FTA.”

On October 1, 2015, Comptroller Franchot appointed Bonardi as the first African American deputy comptroller of Maryland. Prior to that, Bonardi held numerous roles within the Compliance Division, including director, deputy director, assistant director, manager of the Hearings and Appeals Section, and attorney hearings officer. In each of those positions, she was the first person of color and second woman to be appointed to those roles. She also has been an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Bonardi received her bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Trinity University in 1989. She earned her juris doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law, and her master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1993. Bonardi was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record in 2016 and 2019. She also is a 2018 Maryland Center Club Women in Business Financial Services Trailblazer honoree, 2019 Maryland Leadership in Law honoree, recipient of the 2019 Maryland State Bar Association’s Shulbank Tax Excellence Award, and the 2021 Federation of Tax Administrators’ Harley T. Duncan Tax Excellence awardee.

Bonardi sits on the Board of Directors for SECU MD, Maryland’s largest state-chartered credit union and is past president of the Northeastern State Tax Officials Association. She is active in numerous civic organizations: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated, and the MACPA Foundation. She lives in Baltimore County.

Today, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot announced that Andrew Schaufele, the current director of the Board of Revenue Estimates (BRE), will succeed Bonardi as deputy comptroller, effective January 3, 2022. Current BRE Chief Economist David Farkas will be the Bureau’s interim director.

Please join the Federation of Tax Administrators in welcoming Sharonne Bonardi as the incoming Executive Director.

Sharonne R. Bonardi, Esq.